Automatic memory storage of the operation of a cutting machine



1967 R. HAYWOOD ETAL 3,34

AUTOMATIC MEMORY STORAGE OF THE OPERATION OF A CUTTING MACHINE Original Filed Oct. 18, 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS RUSSELL I. HAYWOOD a BY LEO 0. BARLEY W; I M

ATTORNEYS 1967 R. HAYWOOD ETAL 3,347,120

AUTOMATIC MEMORY STORAGE OF THE OPERATION OF A CUTTING MACHINE Original Filed Oct. 18, 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG-3 INVEN T ORS RUSSELL l. HAYWOOD 8 BY LEO D. BARLEY ATTORNEY 1967 R. 1. HAYWOOD ETAL 3,347,120

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a w a m m VIN-.- R AL 0 HR T u an SE UL R United States Patent 3,347,120 AUTOMATIC MEMORY STORAGE OF THE OPERATION OF A CUTTING MACHINE Russell I. Haywood and Leo D. Barley, Dayton, Ohio, assignors to Harris-Intertype Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Original application Oct. 18, 1961, Ser. No. 145,914, now Patent No. 3,183,749, dated May 18, 1965. Divided and this application May 17, 1965, Ser. No. 456,070 Claims. (Cl. 83-42) This is a division of application Ser. No. 145,914, filed Oct. 18, 1961, now Patent No. 3,183,749.

This invention relates to cutting machines, particularly for cutting stacks of sheet material such as paper, cardboard, and the like, and particularly to a novel back gage control system for positioning the piles of such material with respect to the cutting knife.

In such machines, the stacks of material to be out are supported upon a work table, and a guillotine type knife is mounted above the table for powered movement toward the table in a cutting plane which intersects the table surface. Immediately adjacent the knife, and independently operable, there is a clamping member which can be moved under power against the stack to hold it stationary during the cutting stroke of the knife. The back gage is in the form of a pusher member which is mounted to move over the surface of the work table for pushing and positioning the stacks of material into and through the cutting plane, thus determining the position at which the stack comes to rest for making the desired cut. The present invention is concerned with such a back gage which is power operated, preferably by a reversible motor, and which is actuated automatically to move the stack forward in a predetermined sequence of movements to perform a series of cuts through the stacked material, this predetermined sequence being generally known in the art, and hereinafter designated, as a program or job program.

In general, the program is determined by the operator and causes signals to be transmitted to a back gage control system which governs the starting and stopping of the back gage drive motor. The program record is prepared from specifications for the job, and subsequently is used to control operation of the back gage. The time required for preparing such a job program and placing it on the machine, with proper alignment procedures, etc., is known as set up time, and this is time when the cutting machine is usually inactive or out of production being prepared for the next job. I

A principal object of this invention is to provide a novel back gage control incorporating a program preparing apparatus which will function during the first actual series of cutting operations of the machine according to the job program to make a record of the back gage movements during this operation, which record is subsequently used for automatic control of the back gage to reproduce the same sequence of cuts constituting that recorded program.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel back gage control for paper cutting machines and the like wherein the program for position control of the back gage is in the form of a series of magnetic impulses or marks recorded on a magnetic storage member, lengthwise thereof in a spaced pattern which corresponds to the desired movements of the back gage for reproducing the program sequence, and in which the impulsesare created or placed upon the storage member during a cut- 3,347,120 Patented Oct. 17, 1967 ting operation of the cutter knife to assure that the impulse is precisely related to the back gage positions at which subsequent cuts are made in reproducing the program of cuts.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a back gage control incorporating automatic systems for moving the back gage to the next desired position in the program after a cut has been made, and including a control for disabling this automatic advance system when the initial cutting sequence of the job is occurring and the program is being recorded for the first time.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a somewhat schematic side view, with certain parts shown in section, illustrating the general arrangement of a cutting machine and back gage control in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a detail view on a larger scale, showing the rear mount for the magnetic control storage or program storage member;

FIG. 3 is a detail view showing the mounting arrangescan the program record member mounted parallel to the direction of back gage movement;

FIG. 4 is a view looking from the front, i.e., the left, of FIG. 3 showing further details of the receiving and/ or recording head mountings, and particularly the head which operates on the direction control program channels;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view illustrating the manner in which a number of job program and direction control channels are distributed over the surface of the program record member;

FIG. 6 is a somewhat schematic view of a job selector and indicator; and

FIGS. 7A, 7B and 7C are the schematic diagrams of the electrical circuits embodied in the back gage control.

Referring to the drawing, and particularly to FIGS. 1-4, the cutting machine comprises a work table 10 above Which is mounted a knife 12 which reciprocates in a generally vertical plane toward and away from the table to make the desired cuts. This knife includes a replaceable blade 13. Adjacent to the knife is the clamp member 15 which also moves toward and away from the table, independently of the knife, to clamp the stack or pile of material for cutting. Various power operated drives and controls for the knife and clamp are known to those skilled in the art, and since they form no specific part of this invention, they are not shown in detail. It should be understood, however, that the knife and clamp can be operated in any suitable manner, and with the usual interlock arrangement with the back gage control to prevent movement of the back gage when a clamping and/or cutting operation is under way.

The back gage 20 is mounted to move over the surface of table 10, toward and away from the cutting plane of knife 12. Power for movement of the back gage is derived from lead screw 22 which is driven, in a preferred embodiment, by an electrical motor 25, through a suitable two speed transmission 26. This lead screw engages a nut 28 on the back gage.

Preferably, and particularly for use during set-up operation, the lead screw may also be rotated manually by the hand wheel 29 which is fixed thereto and positioned at the forward edge of work table 10.

The position of1the face or pushing area of back gage 20 is conveyed accurately to the operator by means of a tape 30, preferably metallic, which is reeved about a front wheel or pulley 31 and a rear wheel 32. A mast 35 extends from the back gage member 20 upwardly adjacent to the tape, and is fastened thereto so that movement of the back gage will produce corresponding movement of the tape. The tape preferably is marked in convenient graduations of measurement which can be viewed with reference to an index mark at the front of the machine by the operator. The rear wheel 32 is mounted on a vertically extending post 37 at the rear of the work table, and this post provides support for a rear mounting jaw 40 which, together with a spring loaded forward jaw 42 (FIG. 1), forms a rotatable support for the program record or memory device, which is in the form of a tube 44 having a surface coating 45 of material capable of retaining a magnetic pulse, for example by means of minute form-magnetic particles in the coating which will become and remain magnetized when exposed to an electrical field, and which can be erased by forming a uniformly magnetized path or channel along the material with an opposed field. Actually, these pulses, in the form of discrete segments of the channels which are oppositely polarized from the rest of the channel, can be aptly described as magnetic marks which will produce a pulse of electricity in a reading head when there is relative movement between the magnetized or marked area and the head. It will be understood that marks may therefore be placed upon the rnemory device in a number of longitudinal paths, each path forming a program record, and, for purposes of illustration these have been marked on FIG. as program channels 1 to 20. There are also intermediate channels for a separate recording and/or reading head, to be used in controlling the forward or reverse operation of the back gage motor 25, and these are appropriately marked 1R, 2R, etc., being in the illustrated example diametrically opposed to the corresponding job program channel.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the back gage motor 25 drives a two speed transmission 26, and is thus capable of advancing the back gage member 20 at a higher speed and moving it subsequently at a slower speed to its precise desired position. Such an arrangement is preferred since it overcomes the possibility that inertia of the back gage member after a relatively long and continuous forward motion may cause it to overshoot the desired position if stopped from the higher speed.

Accordlingly, there is a circuit for changing the drive ratio of transmission 26 from fast to slow when the back gage is determined to be approaching a magnetic mark indicating a desired position. This circuit, which will be explained further on in detail, responds to a magnetic receiving head 50, while a separate magnetic receiving and/ or recording head 52, spaced a predetermined distance behind the head 50, produces stop pulses to halt the back gage in the desired positions. These heads are mounted on a frame 55 which is in turn supported by a pair of spring arms 56, and they are anchored to the back gage member 20. During normal operation, the heads are in the position shown in full lines in FIG. 3, and they move forward, in unison, along with the back gage member and thus scan the job program channel with which they are aligned. Similarly, on the opposite side of the tube 44, there is a mast or bracket 57 which extends upwardly and forms a mounting for a receiving and/or recording head 58 which scans, at the same time, the corresponding direction control channel.

The head 52 is also used for recording, by magnetizing portions of the material 45 in a particular selected program channel. This is accomplished by having the head 52 connected in one polarity for reading, and in an opposite polarity for recording, as will be explained. The head 58 performs the same dual function of recording and/ or reading in the same general manner.

Because of the nature and function of the heads 50 and 52, they must be spaced apart a certain physical distance, and the machine may be called upon to perform certain trim cut operations which require a forward movement of the back gage member by a distance less than this spacing between these heads. Such slight movement should be accomplished at the slower speed drive. Therefore, in order to assure that a so-called trim cut mark is located between the heads 50 and 52 when the back gage has halted with the head 52 opposite a mark, it is necessary to perform a scanning operation of the heads prior to resumption of back gage movement. Thus, scanning movement is provided by moving the heads 50 and 52 in a direction causing reverse relative movement between the heads and the program memory device with respect to their normal relative movement during forward motion of back gage member 20. This so-called pre-scanning movement is accomplished by shifting the frame 55, by reason of its flexible spring-like mountings 56. These form a parallogram type of linkage which assures essentially straight line motion of the heads along the selected channel on which the device is operating.

A lever 60 is pivotally mounted on a bracket or plate 62 which extends upwardly from the backgage member. At its upper end the lever carries a roller 63, and at its lower end the lever is connected through link 64 with a solenoid 65. An adjustable stop screw 67 normally engages the upper arm of lever 60, and the frame and spring mounting is held in contact with roller 63, and thus lever 60 is held in contact with screw 67, by a spring 68. This spring is anchored at one end to the frame 55 and at its other end to an adjustable tensioning screw 69 which is mounted on the plate 62. This screw forms a convenient adjustment of spring tension, and of course the solenoid functions against this spring to move the heads through a pre-scanning motion the limit of which is shown by the dotted line illustration in FIG. 3.

If the head50 senses a mark during its scanning motion, a circuit is completed, as will be described, to cause the back gage to start in the slower speed. The heads have returned to their forward or at rest position before the back gage member begins to move. This is accomplished by a momentary energization of solenoid 65, causing the scanning motion at the end of which the heads return to their normal position.

Thecircuit diagram, FIG. 7, shows the heads 50, 52 and 58 schematically; The head 50 functions only as a reading head, and it will transmit an impulse, upon approaching a mark on the memory device through the decelerating amplifier 70 which will in turn energize the relay DA. Similarly, the head 52 will cause the stop amplifier 72 to transmit an operating pulse to the relay SA, and the head 58 will cause the reverse amplifier 73 to operate the direction control relay RA.

Read and stop Forpurposes of explanation, it will be assumed that the back gage member 20 is at .its farthest or full rear position from the knife, and that it is at rest. The operator initiates movement of the back gage by momentarily pressing the fast switch 73 to complete a circuit through the relay F. Contacts F1 closes, energizing relay FWD,

and energizing relay A through the normally closed contacts SA1. Relay A in turn completes a holding circuit for the relay F through the back contacts of the slow switch 78, via contacts A1. Thus, once the fast switch 75 is momentarily depressed, the relay F locks in.

Relay F also has a contact in the motor control circuit which will then complete a circuit through the fast or higher speed clutch 80, causing the back gage member to move forward at its higher speed. When the first mark, on that control channel aligned with the heads, is reached by the head 50, this will transmit a pulse through the amplifier 70 to cause the relay DA to be momentarily energized. This relay then opens its normally closed contacts in the holding circuit for relay F, and that relay drops out. At the same time, this will open the contacts of relay F in the circuit of the fast clutch 80 (incorporated in transmission 26), and close the normally closed contacts of this same relay in the circuit of the slow clutch 82 in the transmission. The back gage proceeds forward at its slower speed.

The head 52 is then approaching the same mark which caused the slow down pulse from head 50. When head 52 reaches this mark it transmits a pulse through amplifier 72 to momentarily energize relay SA. This relay opens its contact in the slow clutch circuit and closes its contact SA1 in the circuit of the brake coil 85, and a brake is engaged to hold lead screw 22, stopping the back gage immediately. The normally closed 8A3 contacts in the circuit relay A are opened concurrently at this time, and that relay is deenergized to interrupt the power supply to the fast and slow clutches (only the latter was operative) and to seal in the brake circuit through the normally closed A3 contacts which are in parallel with the normally opened SA1 contacts.

Scan and continue In normal operation, once the back gage is stopped the operator will actuate the usual controls to cause the clamp to descend, followed by the knife 12 which will sever the pile at the designated place. Suitable interlock arrangements are provided which per se form no part of the present invention, to assure that the back gage remains stationary during the clamping and cutting operation. A convenient such interlock may be provided by a solenoid (not shown) which has normally open contacts 90 in the energizing circuit of the coil of relay AA. Thus, with such an arrangement this solenoid can be energized as the knife passes through its up stroke, the contacts 90 will be closed, and relay AA energized. This relay has a first set of normally open contacts AA1 in the energizing circuit of the pre-scanning solenoid 65 (see FIGS. 3 and 7B. When this solenoid begins to move its armature, it closes a switch 92 which in turn energizes the coil of the IS relay. This relay has normally open contacts 1S1 which then close and normally closed contacts 182 which open, in the circuit of the relay FWD. Also, contacts 153 in the circuit of brake coil 85 are also closed to hold the brake on during the scanning operation.

When the armature of the pre-scan solenoid 65 is moved to its full extent, this causes closing of switch 95 which in turn energizes the coil of the AS relay. Thus, the contacts ASl are closed and complete a circuit through the normally closed contacts SA3 to the coil of relay A. This relay is locked in through its contacts A1 and the normally closed 8A3 contacts. The contacts AS2 of the AS relay also are closed when it is energized, and complete a circuit through the coil of the F relay which also looks in through the contacts F1 and A1 and the back contacts of the slow switch 78. In the lower portion of FIG. 7B, contacts A2 and F2 close, completing the circuit through the fast or higher speed clutch coil 80.

When the relay contacts 90 are opened, as the knife comes to a stop at its raised position, relay AA is deenergized, and its contacts AA1 open to deenergize the pre-scanning solenoid 65. As this solenoid releases its armature, the switch 95 is opened, to deenergize the AS relay, and as the armature reaches its terminal deenergized position switch 92 opens to deenergize the IS relay. This in turn causes the contacts 182 to return to their normal closed condition and, so long as the clamp is raised permitting the clamp interlock switch 97 to close, then the relay FWD will be energized, closing its contacts FWDl, 2 and 3 in the directional control circuit of the back gage motor 25 (FIG. 7C). The back gage will thus proceed forward at its higher speed. a

Slow start forward If during the scanning movement the pickup head 50 crosses a mark on the program channel which rests be tween the heads 50 and 52 as they stopped, it will send a pulse through the decelerating amplifier 70 to energize the DA relay. It should be recalled that when the head 50 first sensed a stop mark it caused the transmission to shift to the slower speed, and also transferred control from itself tothe stop head 52. Thus, if there is a mark denoting a trim cut which immediately follows the first mark, at a spacing closer than the physical spacing between the heads 50 and 52, then the head 50 will pass over this second or trim cut mark without effect on the circuit. However, this is the purpose or" the scanning operation, namely to determine whether such a trim cut mark is then between the heads.

Assuming that there is a trim cut signal mark, when relay DA is energized this will open the normally closed contacts DAl in the holding circuit of relay F, causing it to be deenergized and thereby opening the contact F2 in the circuit of fast clutch 80. At the same time, normally closed contact F3 will close to complete a circuit through the slow clutch coil 82, and the back gage will move forward at its slower speed.

It should be noted that when the head 52 passes over a pulse during the scanning operation, the resultant pulse through amplifier 72 will energize relay SA, causing the normally closed contacts SA3 to open momentarily. Therefore, to insure that relay A is kept energized, relay IS must be held energized, to keep contacts 181 closed, until relay SA returns to normal, and contacts SA3 are again closed. This is accomplished by the condenser C4 whichis charged through resistor R5 while the switch 92 is closed. When this switch opens, C4 discharges through the coil of relay IS for the overlap interval required.

The actual scanning operation occurs when the heads 50 and 52 move back to their normal position, i.e., from the dotted toward the full line position as shown in FIG. 3.

'Erasing and marking The functions of erasing programs no longer needed what related to the function of recording new programs on the empty channels. Therefore, these functions win he described concurrently. To erase, this back gage is brought to its forwardmost position, for example by holding closed the fast switch 75, at which time the back gage will proceed forward until it opens the forwardlimit,

switch 100. Then, referring to FIG. 7A, the erase switches are closed manually. These switches each include contacts in several different circuits which are actually operated in unison. They are, therefore, designated as switch 195a, shown in the read position, and switch b in the circuit of the MK and SC relays, shown open. Switch 10Gb is in the circuit of the RC relay, also shown open, and switch 106a in the circuit of the reversing control head 58.

With the erase switches actuated, relays MK, SC and RC are all energized. With respect to the stop head 52, the normally open contacts SCI are closed, and the normally closed contacts SC2 are opened. Sinceonly the switch 105a has been actuated, a circuit is completed from the -24 volt DC supply line 108, through the adjusting potentiometer R2 and through head 52 to ground via the now closed contacts SCI. This circuit is completed at the contacts TDI since the TD relay is energized by closing of contacts MKl when the switch contacts 10512 were closed to energize MK. At the same time, a circuit is completed through 106a and the now closed contacts RC1, through head 58 to ground. The normally closed RC2 contacts are, of course, open since relay RC is energized, with switch 10Gb closed. The potentiometer R4 provides a trim adjustment for this energizing circuit.

The operator then can cause the back gage to proceed to its rearmost position by pressing the reverse switch,

which opens the reverse switch contacts 110a and closes the reverse switch contacts 11Gb. This causes the reverse relay (-REV) to be energized, as well as the IR and 2R relays. Relay REV will thus close its contacts REVl, 2 and 3 in the circuit of motor 25 (FIG. 7C) and relay 1R will close its contacts 1R1 which form a holding circuit for these three relays through the rear limit switch 112. When the back gage reaches its rearmost position this switch will open, deenergizing these relays, and causing the back gage motor to stop. The rearward movement proceeds at high speed, since contacts 2R1 of the relay 2R are closed completing a circuit through the fast speed clutch 80, while the normally closed contacts 2R2 are opened in the circuit of brake coil 85, to prevent energizing of the brake. These contacts, of course, revert to normal when the rear limit switch 112 opens and the relays REV, IR and 2R are all deenergized.

The mark on the magnetic memory system, the desired channel is selected, andthis may be done by rotating the scribed head 120 (FIGS. 1 and 6). This head has a dial on the front marked with the appropriate positions for the number of channels available and there is a manually moveable pin 122 for each channel which can be depressed to engage with a detent or stop (not shown) behind the dial head to hold the head and its attached shaft 123 in the desired position with reference to an index mark 124 adjacent to the dial face. Shaft 123 is connected, for example by the chain and sprocket drive 125 shown schematically in FIG. 1, to a counteri shaft 126 which extends over the memory tube 44 and is journaled in the rear post 137. Gears 127 provide a drive connection from the countershaft 126 to the rear mounting jaw 40, therefore the tube with its magnetized surface 45 will rotate in unison with the dial 120.

To record a program, the operator must first be sure that the manually operable spacer control switch is closed. This switch has a first contact 130a (FIG. 7A) which completes a power circuit to the transformer 132 whichin turn supplies power to the full wave diode rectifier 133. The other contact 1301) (FIG. 7B) of the spacer switch is in a series circuit with the forward limit switch 100 and the reverse switch 110a, and if these are closed it will complete a circuit to line 134 which provides power for energizing the relays A, AA, and FWD, and in some cases relay F, provided the other contacts are appropriately closed.

The back gage can be moved forward by manual closing of either the fast switch 75 or the slow switch 7 8, preferably the latter, and, as previously described, this will complete circuits through the forward relay FWD to energize the motor 25 and an appropriate one of the clutch coils 80 or 82. The back gage is stopped at the desired position by manual operation of stop switch 135 (FIG. 7B) which will cut the power to the relays, and thereby cause both transmission control coils 80 and 82 to be deenergized, and will cause the brake coil 85 to be energized.

It will be assumed that the back gage has now been located at the rearward position at which it must :go before starting forward on the job program to be recorded, by adjustment of the hand wheel if needed. This position, of course, will be somewhat forward of the rearmost position attainable by the back gage. The operator can now record a reverse mark on the reverse channel aligned with head 58 by closing switch 140a and switch 14Gb. Switch 1401) energizes the RC relay, whose normally closed contacts RC2 will open to disconnect head 58 from amplifier 73 while the RC1 contacts will close completing a circuit from line 108 through contacts TD1 (the TD relay is energized along with the RC relay, through the diode 141) and through the trimming potentiometer R3 to ground. Thus, a DC current of reversed direction from that used for erasing is applied through the head 58, and this will in effect create a small spot or mark on the channel opposite in polarity to the entire remainder of that channel, as is well known in the art of magnetic recording and eras- To record the various stop marks on the forward control channel the operator then causes the back gage to move forward, by appropriate operation of switches and possibly of hand wheel 29, as previously described, and while viewing the tape 30' to ascertain when the back gage reaches the desired position for the first cut. To record a mark on the control channel at this position, the operator closes switches 145a and 1451). Switch 145b will complete energizing circuits through the relays MK and SC, and due to closing of contacts MKl, through the relay TD. This results in completion of a DC circuit from line 108 through TD1, through the trimming potentiometer R1, through switch 145a and the now closed contacts SCI through head 52 to ground. Again, this DC current is in reverse direction to that used for erasing,'and thus places a magnetic mark on the channel. The contacts SC2 are of course open at this time, disconnecting head 52 from amplifier 72.

The same operation of pre-scanning and advancing the back gage, either starting in high or low speed, depending upon whether a trim cut mark is sensed during the pre-scanning, will be repeated for each mark of the job program. After the last mark, the operator may place a mark in the reverse channel which will cause the back gage motor to reverse and will return the back gage to the position located by the previous mark at the rear of Automatic direction reversal The foregoing discussion has assumed onlymanual control over the forward. and reverse movement of the back gage, as would likely be used during recording operations. There are also circuits for automatically reversing the direction of movementof the back gage, as follows.

Assuming first that the last signal in a control program has been passed, relays A, FWD and F will be energized. The pickup head 58,upon sensing a reversal mark on the direction control channel will send a pulse through amplifier 73 which energizes relay RA. This closes contacts RAI, energizing relays lFR and 2FR. Then, contacts 1FR1 close to form a holding circuitand contacts 1FR2 open to break the holding circuit for relays A, FWD and F. Contacts 2FR1 close to energize relay REV, IR and 2R. After a momentary overrun, the back gage will reverse, due to the opening of the contacts FWDl, 2 and 3, and closing of contacts REV 1, 2 and 3. The head 58 will again pulse the RA relay, as this head comes back across the same mark which initiate this sequence, but the circuits are not affected as relay 2FR continues'to hold relays REV IR and 2R energized.

Switch 148 (FIG. 7A) which is in the circuit for relay RF, is a mechanically operated switch arranged to close only during the major portion of reverse travel of the back gage, and through the reverse to forward movement thereof. Any suitable linkage, such as a disk operated through a slip clutch from the back gage drive, can be arranged to perform this function. Switch 149 (FIG. 7B) in the circuits of the IFR, 2FR and G relays is operated simultaneously with switch 148. i

Therefore, after the back gage proceeds with its reverse movement, switch 149 is moved from contact 149a to contact 14%. This breaks the .circuit of relays lFR and 2FR and energizes relay G, which seals in through contacts G1, holding this condition until the end of reverse travel of the back gage. Simultaneously, switch 148 energ. gizes the RF relay, since contacts 1R2 are closed. This also completes a circuit through resistor R6 and condenser C6. Contacts RF1 and RF2, in the circuit of the FWD relay (FIG. 7B) are closed at this time, preparing for the following action.

When head 58 reaches the mark identifying the rearward end of travel desired for the back gage, it pulses the RA relay, and this opens contacts RA2 and closes contacts RAI and RA3. When RA2 opens this breaks the circuit holding the relays REV, 1R and 2R, and when RA1 and RA3 close, RA3 energizes relays A, FWD and F, through the already closed contacts RF1 and RFZ.

It should be noted that when relay IR is deenergized it opened its contacts 1R2 in the circuit of the RF relay, but condenser C6 discharges through resistor R6 into the coil of RF relay, holding it until relay A is energized to seal in the FWD circuits.

After a slight overrun, the back gage will start forward at fast speed, and then switches 148 and 149 revert to their normal condition, i.e., as shown. The head 58 passes the same mark going forward, there is another pulse to the RA relay, however, its contacts cause no change in the circuits, since relay G is still held energized to prevent a false action of lFR and 2FR. However, the first time the back gage stops at a mark in the control program, the circuit to relay G is broken because relay DA is energized, and its normally closed contacts DA2 open.

Simultaneous cut and mark From the foregoing it will be understood that once the operator has recorded a program in a particular channel, this program can be repeated at will, until it is erased. The marking sequence described above was described with reference to manual placement of the magnetic marks on the job channel, and this of course can be done with or without a stack of material to be cut according to that program actually placed on the table before the back gage. The present invention provides a control whereby the back gage can be operated, with manual manipulation of its controls, through the first sequence of a particular job, and the job actually performed, by making each cut of the job, while at the same time preparing the record by recording into a channel on the memory device.

To accomplish this function, the operator closes switch 150. In order for this switch to complete a circuit, the contacts AA2 must be closed, but the AA relay will be energized only when the knife is operated, during which time the contacts 90 are momentarily closed. Switch 150 is linked mechanically to switch 152, and the latter will open when switch 150 is closed, thereby opening the circuit to the scanning solenoid 65. A pile of material thus can be placed before the back gage and brought to position where the first cut should be made. When the knife is actuated the contacts 90 will close to energize relay AA, and contact AA2 will close completely a circuit to energize relay CM.

It is necessary, of course, to have the head 52 energized for marking during this procedure, but the switches 145a and b, which as mentioned are moved simultaneously, will remain in the read position. Since 145b will be open, it is necessary to energize the MK and SC relays, and through closing of MKl contacts, thus energize the TD relay. Since relay CM is energized it will open its normally closed contacts CM1 and close contacts CM2 and CM3. This in effect bypasses the switches 145a and 1451;. Contacts CM3 thus energize relays MK, SC, and TD. Contacts CM2 complete a circuit through the closed contacts SC1 to ground, thus momentarily placing an energizing potential on the head 52. Therefore, each time the knife is operated and the contacts 90 are closed the foregoing sequence will occur, resulting in placement of a mark on the channel of the memory device.

Since switch 152 is open, when the cutting operation is complete there will be no energizing of the scanning relay 65, and thus automatic scanning and subsequent forward operation of the back gage will be prevented. Therefore, the operator can again bring the pile forward manually to the position where the next cut is to be made, and when he operates the knife to perform the cut, at the same time another mark will be placed on the memory device. This sequence can be repeated for all desired positions of that particular job, and thus as the operator performs the cutting operation for the first time, with manual control and positioning of the back gage, he is at the same time making a job control program for that job, and the back gage can subsequently be controlled from this program. In effect, therefore, the operator may be performing his job for the first time while setting up the job control program, and there is actually no separate time required for setting up the memory device.

While the method herein described constitutes a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to this precise method, and that changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention which is defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a paper cutting machine adapted to perform successively duplicate cutting operations on different stacks of sheet material such as paper, the method of placing a first such stack of material in said paper cutting machine and performing the cutting operations thereon to cut said first stack in desired locations, simultaneously forming a record of the position of the first stack in the machine at the time each cut is made, and thereafter automatically controlling the position of the additional stacks of material to be cut in duplicate manner by controlling the operation of said cutting machine from the recording.

2. A method of cutting a plurality of stacks of material, such as paper, on a cutting machine equipped with a cutting knife, a back gage mechanism for positioning one of said stacks of material at a time, and a back gage control mechanism, comprising the steps of performing a desired sequence of cutting operations on a first stack of material by manually positioning the back gage and manually operating the cutting knife, simultaneously recording in the back gage control mechanism the position of the back gage each time the first stack of material is cut, and thereafter automatically positioning the back gage for each subsequent stack of material placed thereon and automatically actuating the cutting knife at the cutting position determined by the recording in the back gage control.

3. In a cutting machine where a series of cuts are to be made on a plurality of stacks of material, such as paper, comprising the steps of placing a first of said stacks of material on said cutting machine and manually controlling the machine to position said stack at a cut position under a cutting mechanism of said machine, recording the position of said first stack simultaneously with each operation of the cutter mechanism, thereafter automatically positioning subsequent stacks of material and automatically actuating the cutter mechanism in response to said recording so that said subsequent stacks are cut in the manner identical to said first stack.

4. In a cutting machine where a plurality of stacks of material such as paper, are to be cut in identical manner one stack at a time, the method of placing a first stack under the cutter mechanism of said machine by manually positioning the back gage of said machine, manually actuating the cutter mechanism and simultaneously recording the position of said back gage so that all subsequent stacks thereafter placed on said machine will be automatically positioned and cut in the same positions as the first stack of material.

5. A method for cutting a plurality of stacks of material such as paper, comprising the steps of placing the first stack of paperon the paper cutting machine, manually positioning the paper against the back gage of said machine, manually adjusting the back gage so that the paper is positioned under the cutter mechanism of said machine, magnetically recording each position of the back gage at which a cut is made simultaneously with the operation of the cutter mechanism, and thereafter automatically positioning said back gage and cutting subsequent stacks of material by reference to the magnetic marks generated during the first manual cutting operation.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Leaver et a1. 318162 Lyttle 83-71 X Blaha 83-71 Paul et al. 83-71 X Thumim 83-71 

1. IN A PAPER CUTTING MACHINE ADAPTED TO PERFORM SUCCESSIVELY DUPLICATE CUTTING OPERATIONS ON DIFFERENT STACKS OF SHEET MATERIAL SUCH AS PAPER, THE METHOD OF PLACING A FIRST SUCH STACK OF MATERIAL IN SAID PAPER CUTTING MACHINE AND PERFORMING THE CUTTING OPERATIONS THEREON TO CUT SAID FIRST STACK IN DESIRED LOCATIONS, SIMULTANEOUSLY FORMING A RECORD OF THE POSITION OF THE FIRST STACK IN THE MACHINE AT THE TIME EACH CUT IS MADE, AND THEREAFTER AUTOMATICALLY CONTROLLING THE POSITION OF THE ADDITIONAL STACKS OF MATERIAL TO BE CUT IN DUPLICATE MANNER BY CONTROLLING THE OPERATION OF SAID CUTTING MACHINE FROM THE RECORDING. 